Education Activities

A thorough literature review on the development of youth leadership was the starting point for design of the TLfS Educational Activities.  An understanding of adolescent development was found to be an important precursor to the design of a youth leadership instructional program.  To this end, we used research found in the American Journal of Career and Technical Education to adapt a five-dimension model as the basis for the TLfS Program.  The five dimensions include; (1) Leadership Knowledge and Information, (2) Leadership Attitude, Will, and Desire, (3) Decision-Making, Reasoning, and Critical Thinking, (4) Oral and Written Communication Skills, and (5) Intra and Interpersonal Relations. (Ref 1)

In the TLfS Educational Activities, each dimension of the conceptual model is aligned into a holistic integrative perspective on learning that combines experience, perception, cognition and behaviour so that students can thoroughly grasp the concepts of leadership on several levels.  These concepts are then woven into activities that are based on principles of sustainability so as to engage students in real issues of today.  The TLfS Program introduces participants to the idea that everything they eat, drink, use and wear comes from natural resources and that there is a full chain of production and consumption for every product and service they consume.  As part of this chain, whether as a consumer now, or as a producer later in their lives, each student is encouraged to think how they can lessen their impact.  The ultimate message is that we must all take responsibility for our actions, and that as graduates of the TLfS Program, these students must apply their new knowledge and skills now and in the future.

The curriculum associated with the TLfS Educational Activities is delivered through a 15 Module Course.  Each Module runs for approximately 2 hours and has been carefully developed to cover a range of issues from leadership and sustainability issues and related topics, project management and career and vocational information.

The Modules have been developed in such a way that they can be delivered in a short time frame over consecutive days, or over a longer time frame depending on the time available in participating schools.  One of the Modules is based on a full day experiential activity and is best taken away from the school grounds in a natural environment.  This is a key component of the course and highlights both aspects of sustainability and leadership principles.

Depending upon availability, these Modules can also include guest speakers from local government, local businesses or local environmental organisations.  The purpose of introducing these guest speakers is to give students in the TLfS program the opportunity to listen to different points of view on a range of topics and to question community and industry leaders about topical issues and situations.   For more information about accessing a TLfS Speaker, go to the Contact page and fill in the form accordingly.

Ref 1: Ricketts, J.C, Rudd, R.D, 2002. A comprehensive leadership education model to train, teach, and develop leadership in youth, Journal of Career and Technical Education, Volume 19, Number 1, Fall 2002.